Tom Talks #22: slowthai-HELL IS HOME Tour, Birmingham (A Night Of Bangers, Sweat and Terrific Stage Presence)
Artist: slowthai (with support from Knucks & Deb Never)
Genre: UK Rap/Punk-Rap
Venue: Forum
Location: Dale End, Birmingham
Welcome back to Tom Talks, I hope you are well. Today we will be reviewing the energetic performance from slowthai at the Forum in Birmingham. Like most post-pandemic shows, fans have been eagerly awaiting this tour and boy did it deliver.
The Forum is a venue I have never previously visited, but with the ability to stand and watch from upstairs or get involved in the action downstairs, with plenty of space for an artist of slowthai's popularity, it made for a great venue and there was enough bars to serve the consumer demand.
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| Knucks (Support Act) |
Unfortunately due to a bit of trouble finding the venue (make sure to type the Forum music venue in you Maps/SatNav), I missed Deb Never, although her performance on stage with slowthai on their collab 'push,' showed her vocal abilities and fit well with the emotional delivery of Northampton's finest. Knucks was the other support and he emphasised why he is one of the hottest up and comers in the U.K. scene, with fantastic performances of tracks like 'Home' and 'Alpha House.' Many in the crowd knew the words and were here to see him as much as thai, but his ability to rap and choice of beats, showed he is a talent to keep an eye on and a name to remember.
But after a brief break it was time for the main man and wow it was a performance to behold. Kicking things off with the banger 'ENEMY,' the crowd were ready to party from the get go and to be honest I have not seen an audience so pumped and energetic as this in a long time and as a result I came out of the gig absolutely soaked.
Following this active start, we slowed things down with more emotional tracks like 'i tried' and 'nhs,' proving that Tyron Frampton can switch it up during a show, as well as on the album. (like there was any doubt) The night saw us explore a large portion of his back catalogue with 'Ladies' showing that more sensitive side and tracks like 'T N Biscuits' and 'Drug Dealer,' showing the more gritty side of Mr. Frampton and of course causing one or two rowdy mosh pits to commence.
We then returned to 'TYRON,' with 'push,' a fantastic collaborative effort with Deb Never and one of my album favourites, the closer 'adhd' showing the audience that more open and honest side, before we got the anger and passionate side at the end. Tyron is truly a great performer and the crowd were very clearly happy to be there and see a man they admired, who makes some inspirational music. We were even lucky to get a few new tracks like the punk influenced number, I believe is called 'Feels So Good When You Feel Alive.'
To finish this mammoth event, we got what slowthai proclaimed as his favourite moment of the show, as he gave an lively performance of Mura Masa collab 'Deal Wiv It.' By this point I was very sweaty and pretty knackered, but whether you liked it or not you were involved in the pits and in all fairness I was glad to be there. (also considering recent events, people were helped up and the artist himself asked for people to respect others, which was nice to see) 'feel away' is a fantastic breakup ballad and live it was even better; you could see Tyron was in his feels and it made for a great moment.
The vast amount of collaborations were on display throughout the night, whether 'Inglorious' and 'CANCELLED' with Skepta or the nightmarish 'Psycho' with Denzel Curry, but the punk inspired anthem 'Doorman' was a great choice to end the night. The Mura Masa production on that track is impeccable and always gets the audience pumped and moshing to their hearts content, but slowthai gave the right energy to get the crowd in the mood and end the night on a high.
Saturday 26th March 2022 is a night I am never going to forget! Mr. Tyron Frampton sure knows how to put on a performance and his collection of anthems, shows not only is he a talented artist, but one of the best performers to come out of the U.K. If you can catch one of his shows, buy your ticket now, as it's an experience you'll never forget!
5/5
slowthai's final show of the tour will be on March 31st at O2 Academy Brixton in London!
If you want to know my thoughts on the album 'TYRON' you can find them here. Until next time this has been another Tom Talks!
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